The number of Broward food stamp recipients fell to 280,625 in September after increasing to 281,612 in August and tripling since the Great Recession began, making Broward the first county in South Florida to post declines since 2007.

Miami-Dade saw a small increase with 314 more people on food stamps and has more than twice the number of people on the food program than Broward.

According to Gillespie, Broward and Palm Beach counties will see a decline as Florida's economy continues to improve.

The number of people receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Palm Beach grew from 186,215 in August to 187,454 in September.

Statewide, there was a 0.2 percent increase in food stamp recipients last month, with a third of the state's counties posting declines, Gillespie said.